Bring the people together

The theme of returning of the people to a place where the promises of God could be fulfilled and a reign of peace, unity and prosperity could be established is how the prophecy of Ezekiel, which is particular to a Davidic King ruling in Jerusalem over the returned of the diaspora of the tribes of Israel, is a hope within Christianity which is catholic and which requires the recognition of the Body of Christ, the living sons and daughters of God. The Eucharistic message is that God invites all to return to intimate relationship with Him through our life with Jesus. From his place of exile in Babylon, Ezekiel writes the texts which are included in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today. Friar Jude Winkler explains how the destruction of the northern kingdom (722 BCE) and the deportation of the people of Judah  to Babylon (587 BCE) had resulted in the destruction of the First Temple. Ezekiel relates how the adoption of practices of idolatry, the placing of other before God, had led to the weakening of the moral fibre of the people and their slipping from practices which had kept them in Covenant with God. In the Gospel from John, the question of whether Jesus, who had been providing evidence through signs connecting Him to God, would be seen by the people as the Davidic Messiah is shown to concern the High Priest and the Sanhedrin. The real possibility of the intervention of the Roman forces to put down any possible rebellion of re-united Jewish people under a Davidic leader allowed the idols of power, prestige and control to be placed before the message of peace and unity with the Divine offered by Jesus to all peoples. Sue Selde recognizes our continuing and present difficulty of seeing Christ in all our human brothers and sisters and placing the idols of wealth, privilege, pride and our unique “betterness” as obstacles in the path of accepting Jesus Way of peace and unity.